Just a Game
by Mega07ghost
Summary: 'It's just a game', Charlie tried to convince himself. The mathematician has to make the most important decision of his life in a dangerous game of chess. (Rated T for language)


**A/N: Warning! Character death and some swearing.**

 _Disclaimer: I don't own the series or the characters. They belong to their rightful owners and I just borrow them._

Just A Game

 _'It's just a game.'_

Again and again I tried to tell myself this. I tried to convince myself that none of my moves had any dramatic consequences. I wanted to think that this game was simply about winning.

It was just a game of chess and nothing else. Mistakes I made wouldn't be that bad. None of my decisions was really important.

But it wasn't like that. This game was about more than just winning or losing.

Every move had destructive consequences.

Every move could destroy a life, including my own.

I looked up into my opponent's eyes. His gaze was cold and filled with hate. But there was something else too. I could see that this game was amusing him.

It made him happy that I didn't know what to do. He wanted to see me helpless and lost, wanted me to suffer. He believed that he would soon beat me.

He was wrong. I was not helpless, I knew exactly how I could do him harm. But I was not able to do the move. I looked down at my pieces. The castle. I could beat his queen with it. I had the chance to beat one of his strongest pieces; he had given me the chance. Because he knew that I wouldn't take it.

My eyes moved to the corner on the right of the room. There stood eight chairs. And on each of these chairs sat a person that I loved.

Colby, Liz, Larry, Amita, Don, Dad, Nikki and David.

They were all tied to the chairs, had no chance to defend themselves. On the left sat Colby. When he realized that I was looking at him he knew what was going on. He knew what I planned to do and everyone else knew it too. David began to struggle, tried to fight against the shackles.

"No, Charlie! Don't do that! I'm begging you, damn it! Not again!"

Tears filled my eyes as I looked back at the chess board. I was painfully aware that one of the knights was missing, standing beaten on my opponent's side of the table. I looked at the second chair from the right. The image was still as gruesome as it had been before.

Nikki sat motionless on the wooden chair, blood had stained her white shirt red. Her eyes stared back, blaming me and I knew that this shouldn't have happened.

Because of my mistake, a dumb little mistake, I had lost the knight... and Nikki.

I still remembered the moment I had awoken in this cold and empty room. Panic had gripped my heart and it had grown when I saw my friends and family tied to the chairs, unconcious. My opponent - I didn't know who he was or why he was doing this - had sat in front of me and had explained the rules. His words were still swirling inside of my mind.

' _Every piece represents a part of your family. You should make wise decisions, Professor Eppes.'_

Make wise decisions... that's what I always did. But wise or smart decisions wouldn't help me. Right now it would be smart to beat the queen with the castle. But that was not possible. I couldn't sacrifice Colby to win. He was my friend and I was not in the position to decide over his life. But there was another problem I had to face. If I didn't beat the queen with my castle then the queen would beat my castle because it couldn't move out of the way. Colby would be lost, one way or another. There was only one way to save him. I looked at the bishop that could move on the black squares. My only chance was to move this bishop in front of the castle. I looked at Colby again who just stared at me seriously. I could see the fear inside his eyes even though he tried to hide it. My heart broke. I didn't want that! I didn't want to kill this man! But the other possibility...

My eyes moved on and finally rested on Larry. The bishop. Why did it have to be him? Of course it would have been cruel to sacrifice anyone of my family and friends but right now this was the question crossing my mind. I didn't want to kill him, didn't want to be guilty. But I couldn't let Colby die either.

I winced at the sound of my opponent's cold laughter.

"To see you so desperate is great, Professor Eppes."

He seemed to enjoy my situation and when I didn't reply he continued:

"And? Who will you choose? Agent Granger? Or do you prefer to sacrifice your dear old friend and mentor Dr. Fleinhardt?"

I shook my head. I didn't want any of these things to happen but I knew that I had to make a decision.

But how? What had happened to Nikki had been an accident but now? Now it was a decision I was aware of. And I couldn't make it.

"Beat this damn queen, Charlie."

I frowned when I heard this voice and turned to the side. Colby looked at me. His look was full of determination. What had he said just now?

"You know that you can just win when the queen is gone. And you know that losing will kill all of us... at least that's what this guy has said. So beat him now and ignore what will happen to me."

We all looked at Colby, shocked and at the same time impressed. He wanted to sacrifice himself to save everyone. That was brave and honorable.

"Colby, stop it! You can't just kill yourself to save us."

The sound of desperation in David's voice was heartbreaking. Now Larry began to speak too:

"Charles, you can beat the queen without sacrificing Colby. You know what you have to do."

Yes... I knew it. I had to kill my best friend. There was no other way.

"Shut up, Fleinhardt! I'm trying to save your ass so don't ruin it!"

But Larry ignored the agent and kept on talking:

"A castle will be more useful than a bishop in this game. Think, Charles."

He was right. Probably the castle could help me more but was it worth Larry's death?

"Shut up!", Colby screamed again and this time Larry reacted and snarled:

"I am trying to guide Charles so that he can save more people, including you!"

They started fighting, Amita began to cry, Liz would have loved to be deaf. My dad closed his eyes and I knew that he was praying, praying for everything to turn out fine. David desperately shook his head and probably just hoped that I would save Colby.

Colby and Larry fought louder and louder but still I heard my opponent's chuckle. I knew that he had wished for something like this to happen.

"Silence!"

It was Don who finally interrupted Colby and Larry. I thought of his piece, his role.

The king.

It fit Don. He was a leader, strong and brave. And every single one of us - the team, the family - would sacrifice to save him.

"Charlie will know what to do so stop fighting and influencing him. We have to trust him. At least that's what I do."

I swallowed. Yes... they all put their trust in me. But what if I would disappoint them? Whatever I did... it would turn out bad.

"I trust you too, Charlie. You are my son and I know that you will choose wisely."

My dad, the second bishop. He trusted me. And I loved him for it. He had always put his trust in me, believed in me. He was the best dad I could wish for.

"Do what you have to do."

Liz, the second knight. I couldn't believe it. Her best friend was dead... because of me. And still she believed in me. That made Liz who she was: powerful and self-confident.

Amita, the queen of my life, nodded in agreement but didn't say a thing. But I could see in her eyes that she trusted me. It had been the reason I fell in love with her... and I still loved her.

"I-", David, the second castle, hesitated before he said: "I know that you'll do the right thing."

I hoped so too. My gaze went to Colby and Larry. I knew that both of them were ready to sacrifice their lives for the others but in the end it was my decision. I needed a moment to sort my thoughts and then I took my piece. I made my move. The game continued.

 **A/N: Open end... Should have warned you, right? But to be honest... I don't know the solution myself. Who survived? Who died? Choose for yourself.**


End file.
